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Thread: Some questions and advice

  1. #1

    Default Some questions and advice

    Hi all just downloaded XGM last night and played around 20 turns to test the changes compared to vanilla (first mod ever I have played).

    I was worried about problems Germany had from vanilla so I really focused on economy and such and didn't take enough early land. But I was wondering if Taverns are negative to have in this edition like vanilla in regards to negative traits given to generals? I liked night raiders in the original and I was just wondering if I should invest in Taverns in only production cities without governors.

    Slingers where a godsend for large towns. Regualar axe men once again suck . Gonna make sure I blitz a Woad Warrior town so I can have some adequate flankers + psychology for my main battle line. I hope when I start my real play threw now I get to the city level via enslaving and have some nice choices to use. Spear warbands aren't bad but they are really dull shield wall + guard and wait for cav and flankers to break (kinda hurts they took a ton of attack away from them I understand the phalanx removal and all though).

    Are gothic cav in this game or where they removed? Do you have to all out blitz in this mod? Or can you take a more varied balanced approach? Thank you to any and all who spend some time dropping by to fill me in.

  2. #2
    DimeBagHo's Avatar Praeses
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    Default Re: Some questions and advice

    Its been a while since I played Germany, but IIRC it is a difficult campaign in the early game. Military upkeep is quite expensive in XGM so it's hard to keep enough stacks to defend your borders well. Young barbarian leaders really need to get out and fight battles. Don't try to use them as governors until their reputations are well established. Gothic Cavalry are still available but called Noble Cavalry. You get a better range of armored units in XGM than in vanilla.

    XGM is harder to play than vanilla, so you will need to be aggressive, especially at the start of the campaign.
    Last edited by DimeBagHo; October 23, 2015 at 02:51 PM.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Some questions and advice

    But germans get phalanx spearmen right..?

  4. #4
    DimeBagHo's Avatar Praeses
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    Default Re: Some questions and advice

    I don't remember. I think they get shieldwall if you play with the BI exe, but otherwise no phalanx.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Some questions and advice

    Germans get phalanx in vanilla though... that's the only reason people play Germania in the first place :p

  6. #6
    DimeBagHo's Avatar Praeses
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    Default Re: Some questions and advice

    One of the notable differences in XGM is that the game's version of the phalanx is only used for Macedonian style pike units - i.e. very long spears, held under arm, with small shields. Even Hoplite units don't use the phalanx mechanic. That's mostly because the game's version of the phalanx formation just isn't a very good representation of the Hoplite phalanx or the Germanic shieldwall. If you use the BI exe then Hoplites and German spearmen get the shieldwall formation instead. If you play with the other exe's then they get a weight advantage (which makes them better at holding their ground, pushing back other units, and stopping cavalry charges) but no special formation.

  7. #7

    Default Re: Some questions and advice

    Well in that case it seems like the Germans are ed...
    Go shieldwall with archers/slingers on a bridge or get Rekt.. :p

  8. #8
    DimeBagHo's Avatar Praeses
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    Default Re: Some questions and advice

    The Germans do have a much harder time without a phalanx unit. On the other hand the new higher level units make it much easier to keep up with other factions in the later stages of the game.

  9. #9

    Default Re: Some questions and advice

    The no phalanx isn't the end of the world though it does make me lean towards a psycho squad approach. Just got my first city this real playthrough at winter of 276. So I should have lvl3 donar shrine troops by 272 or so. Interested in the upgrades just cause the basic dudes are boring so far. Nothing against the warbands but shieldwall and hold is just dull. I hope the city or large city units actually pack on some meat in attack and such to create a waterfall panic cause I have been using the non shieldwall german warband mercs on the flank with a warcry + charge and it just takes a bit too long.

    Though I hate vh/vh on vanilla cause the ai is still dumb I am playing on med/med given my first real playing experiance. I hope to eventually get up to speed to due my preferred h/h runs but its the first real run through so I ain't trying to much too soon. I think I messed up though on the installer and didn't click the less financial advantage for the ai so I might have to go back and redo it.

    Not bad so far it just is real dull on both platforms with Germans early game. Basically just base unit + general units till you get valid options. Though I really like how they aren't messed up beyond all belief in this game eco wise. Only took me first 5-7 turns to start churning out 7-9k gold per season after i deleted the starting skirmishers and such. I just keep the 2 cav units + warbands and I have access to slingers now. I like how in this version there are more it seems forests near roads so I am gonna try a more ambush related chokes then bridge camping but depending on unit stack quantities I might have to alter that approach as I go.

    I have next to no civilized factions approaching me atm so for the time being I think I am alright. But Scythia is getting withing 1 rebel town of my territories so I am worried I won't have enough good missile units when they make a move on me. Thracia is creeping on up from the South as well but they shouldn't be too bad unless they get some bad ass phalanx units I believe.

    Yeah I am playing the BI.exe DimeBagHo. And by the way thank you so much for making this mod good sir/madam it is great to kill time since I am in my construction off season atm.

  10. #10

    Default Re: Some questions and advice

    Quote Originally Posted by odin1981 View Post
    Though I hate vh/vh on vanilla cause the ai is still dumb I am playing on med/med given my first real playing experiance. I hope to eventually get up to speed to due my preferred h/h runs but its the first real run through so I ain't trying to much too soon. I think I messed up though on the installer and didn't click the less financial advantage for the ai so I might have to go back and redo it.
    Not sure you are able to continue your current campaign if you change that without some glitches showing up..

    What happen to me when I finally found the best installation version (by playing this mod a lot but actually never finishing) of this amazing mod and removed land bridges, small and weird lakes appeared surrounding the town (sorry, don't remember its name) in Illyria province. Even when I did the fresh installation of both the game (RTW) and the mod (XGM) and started a new campaign, the lakes are still there. - What's up with that? And how to fix it?

    It doesn't effect the gameplay too much or very little if at all. Just seems strange, but also it's kinda fun when can attack the the town only from the two or three directions. I play with BI and this happens when land bridges are set off.
    Last edited by Mylemakis; November 17, 2015 at 04:09 PM.

  11. #11
    DimeBagHo's Avatar Praeses
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    Default Re: Some questions and advice

    Some of the installer options are OK to change mid-way through a campaign, others will kill your game.

    Options that should be safe to change:
    Fatigue
    Unit Movement Speed
    Minimal Borders
    Red Line
    Improved Cities
    AI Bonuses
    Hitpoints

    Options that are definitely unsafe to change:
    Exe version (this one is nasty, it will work for a while, but cause random CTDs later)
    Land Bridges (will bork your map as described by Mylemakis, and may cause CTDs if units get stranded in the wrong spots)
    Loyalty (will cause CTDs)

    If you do re-install min-campaign, obviously you need to be careful to make sure you don't change these three options. If you can't remember which options you chose last time you installed then there is a log file you can check called 'xgmversion.txt' which you can find inside the xgm mod folder.

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